Owned a truck and 5th wheel for 5 years and loved it. Unfortunately circumstances caused me to sell both last fall. Thinking now about buying another when I saw a 1999 Class A with less than 100,000 miles and very clean inside. Price was very reasonable. To my surprise I have seen a few others that appeal to me also. (older, clean models with low mileage).

Any suggestions as to pros and cons of Class A vs 5ers. Anything special I should be looking for in a used one? Vehicle would be used for one trip annually from southern Ontario to Florida, plus a few summer camping excursions nearby.

Each RV type has it's own unique features and plusses and each one has it's setbacks. About the only thing I can think of with a CLASS A (B, or C) is the fact, every time you want to go somewhere you have to break camp. If the motor home is adequate to tow a toad, then this is not an issue.

The only other thing I can think of is, if you have mechanical engine, failure and need a repair, your camper goes to the repair shop with the engine. You have to find alternative transportation and a place to sleep.

never had anything other than class a motor homes...3 of them since 1986. i've always felt that a 5'er gives the best bang for the buck in terms of space but we chose a class a for visibility while driving. it's a good thing to be sitting above traffic. IMO a class a is more convenient especially in bad weather whether when driving or pulling into a campground during a rainstorm. completely self-contained i don't have to get out to hook up...water, heat, cooking and 12v/120v electricity. in 30+ years i've only met one 5'er owner who had a genny installed in his rig.

on the downside owners with TTs or 5''ers don't need to tow a dinghy..you've already got one. and you really should have a dinghy with a motor home. we didn't tow a car for 17-years and while we got around well enough when we finally woke up and decided to tow we realized just how much better life was wihen we didn't need to break camp to go sightseeing or to the store, laundry, etc.

IMO everything else is pretty much a wash. i'm probably overlooking something but i think it boils down to personal preference. suggest you consider what you liked most about your 5'er and think about if you can get that satisfaction from a class a.

We went from towable RVs to motorized. We have never looked back. The convenience of being able to jump in turn the key and go is simply much less work. We use the RV much much more than we ever used the towable units. With our towable we had to hitch up, including the bars, chains, breakaway cable and so on, load the generator into the truck, load all the blocks gas cans and other required stuff into the truck. It routinely took well over an hour to get hooked up to leave including loading everyting we needed into the truck. Keep in mind this did not include loading the trailer with clothes, food and other items. When we park for the night or at a location, we had to back in, fiddle with the blocks to get the trailer level from side to side, unhook and level front to back, then manually drop the landing jacks to stablize the trailer. This is in addition to the normal items such as connecting the water, power, sewer etc. and putting out the slides. Overnight dry camping was also a hassle becausing finding a place to put boards down to level side to side and then level front to back without unhitching is hard. If we want power other than the very limited available from the inverter we have to connect the generator in the bed of the truck to the power cord in the back of the trailer. I did eventually install a generator on the rear bumper but that had the negative effect of leaving the generator out in the rain and we couldn't cover it until it cooled down. With a motorhome I back in, park, push a button to level the coach, all while being completely dry. Then I do the normal stuff of connecting the external connections and putting the slides out. Overnight parking is also very simple, park and push a button to level. If we need more power than is available from the batteries the generator automatically starts with the AGS system available on many motorized units. If the coach you are looking at doesn't have an AGS system it can easily be added. Yes, the cost to maintain is more expensive but since we use it more often it balances out.

The reason they make so many different types of RVs is one size doesn't fit everyone. There's a lot of personal preference that factors into the decision on which style to own and fits your desires best.

For me, it's always been motorhomes. I tried a beautiful 36ft 5th wheel once but when it came to backing in a site, I lacked the skill necessary and my assistant was worse. To save the marriage, we traded it off for another motorhome.

We like them for the all the reasons mentioned here and the ability of the wife (who won't drive) to get up and fill my glass occasionally. It's nice to be able to stop and use the restroom where I have soap and plenty of water without waving my hands around from the faucet and a towel to dry my hands afterwards.

Pro the convenience when driving down the road. You need or want something you got it no stopping to get outside to get it. Bad storm no worries you're already in the camper. My wife has several health issues and she can sleep as needed while I keep driving to our destination. Con If it breaks down it is much more of an issue getting it repaired and while it's being fixed you have no place to stay. Much easier to find a place to get a tow vehicle repaired and much much less expensive. Even with the higher cost of expense of maintaining and running a motorhome we feel it's the only way to go.

The way we travel is that we very seldom spend more than a day in a location. When we reach a place that we like then we may spend a few days there seeing the sights and then we move on. We travel mostly the back roads and prefer to keep off of the interstates as much as possible. IN our early years we did travel the interstates and experienced most of the usual sights. What we like about the Class A is that we can pull in to an RV park and if it is pouring down rain, we can take care of most everything from the driver's seat. We do not have to go outside to level the rig, have running water, have satellite TV, extend the slides, and have electricity. We can wait until the storm moves on to hook up to the shore power and turn off the generator. By running the generator before we stop we can also have the entire rig as warm or as cool as we need before we stop for the night and not have to worry about having to wait for a trailer to cool off or warm up before we can finally relax for the evening. We also have a toad for any sightseeing or other duties.
If we were the type of people that travel to a destination and sit there for an extended period of time, then I feel that a 5th has a lot of advantages.